May 01, 2022
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Gov. Little honors signing of 'Monkey's Law' at Fruitland on Wednesday - Longview News-Journal

Gov. Little honors signing of ‘Monkey’s Law’ at Fruitland on Wednesday
Gov. Brad Little addresses Brandi Neal and Tyler Vaughan, front left, the parents of missing 5-year-old Michael “Monkey” Vaughan, prior to presenting them a signed copy of Senate Bill 1378 at Fruitland Community Park on Wednesday morning. The community gathered there to mark nine months since Michael’s disappearance on July 27, 2021. The bill has been dubbed “Monkey’s Law” in Michael’s honor. Photos by Corey Evan | Independent-Enterprise
Gov. Little honors signing of ‘Monkey’s Law’ at Fruitland on Wednesday
Members of the community gather to honor the passage of Monkey’s Law on Wednesday. Among them were students of Fruitland High School, as seen in this picture.

Independent-Enterprise

FRUITLAND — Wednesday marked exactly nine months since the disappearance of 5-year-old Michael “Monkey” Vaughan from his Fruitland home, on July 27, 2021. The community came together at Fruitland City Park Wednesday morning for a ceremony honoring a bill signed into law in his honor — Senate Bill 1378. It ensures emergency alerts go out statewide and across state lines, regardless of Amber Alert eligibility.

In addition to concerned parents and local dignitaries, dozens of students from Fruitland High School were also present to show support for Michael’s parents, Brandi Neal and Tyler Vaughan.

According to Amber Alert guidelines, a description of a suspected abductor and their vehicle is required for an alert to be issued. Because of a lack of an alleged suspect in Michael’s case, no alert was possible.

Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, told those in attendance this is why she and co-sponsor Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, went to work to create this bill.

“What we all want to do is to find Michael and bring Michael home,” said Lee. “In the meantime, what we can do is make sure that we have statewide, regional and national alerts that can go out immediately. Michael did not qualify for an Amber Alert… and it’s really complex because I could spend a lot of time talking about that. But when I found out, I was shocked. We were all shocked.”

Lee credited the community’s response over Michael’s disappearance, especially the “fierce mamas”, who wrote to her office to make this bill possible. She noted that this bill was an alternative to making changes to the Amber Alert system.

“I quickly found out to [change the Amber Alert system] at the state level would upend a national alert system. In my research, though, I found out that Idaho was the only state in our region without an endangered [and] missing person alert system. So, partnering with groups like the Alzheimer’s Association, domestic violence advocates, human trafficking [prevention] organizations and groups dedicated to find missing children … we wrote and passed Idaho’s first ever endangered missing persons alert.”

The bill has been dubbed “Monkey’s Law.”

Introduced in the state Senate on March 4 before making its way to the House of Representatives, the bill was signed into law on March 28. In presenting a signed copy to Michael’s parents, Gov. Brad Little expressed his wishes for a joyous reunion with Michael.

“Michael’s disappearance exposed a deficiency, and that’s what we should do, that’s how laws she be [brought forward],” said Little. “It’s always slower than we’d like. It’s always not exactly perfect. But this is an example … of fixing that deficiency. This bill gives law enforcement a critical, needed tool.”

Lee told the newspaper in an interview the same day that the implementation of Monkey’s Law remains in progress. She adds that the system comes at a cost of $1.4 million, but will provide a “seamless” means of communication with neighboring states.

While Fruitland Police Chief J.D. Huff reports that no breaks have been made in the case, tips continue to come in to his department.

“As they come in, we’re actually working every one of them,” said Huff. “I can’t really expand on what the leads and tips are … there’s been ups and downs, highs and lows throughout this entire investigation. We’re just hoping for that one lead to just break the case.”

The reward for Michael’s safe recovery, now in excess of $52,000, was reinstated April 1 following its initial expiration on March 31. It is non-expiring this time, according to Huff. Anyone with information which may lead to Michael’s recovery is encouraged to phone the Payette County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 642-6006 extension 0.



source: https://www.news-journal.com/gov-little-honors-signing-of-monkey-s-law-at-fruitland-on-wednesday/article_f7baa8a8-2589-57c9-9ead-f9f9301b8b9e.html

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